


We're Here Now and This is True (Outlaw Queen One Shots)

by DocMcRegals



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Angst, Drama, F/M, Family, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-03-20 06:53:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18987514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DocMcRegals/pseuds/DocMcRegals
Summary: A series of Outlaw Queen prompts and one-shots; any requests can be made on Twitter @thewrldaccordingdee or Tumblr @theworldaccordingtodee





	1. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Outlaw Queen Prompt Party 2019; #55 "Robin catches Regina full-on dancing in the kitchen while making dinner" and #117 "OQ Modern World AU with no magic"

 

It’s the most glorious sight he’s ever seen.

 

Robin Locksley opens the door to his two-story home and immediately, his nostrils are assaulted by the most heavenly smell on earth.

His wife Regina is cooking one of his favorite Puerto Rican dishes, Mofongo with a side of Arroz Con Gandules. But that’s not what captures his attention, it’s the soulful sound of La Lupe’s “La Tirana” coming from the kitchen. He can’t help but smile as he takes off his work boots, placing them in the required cubby hole in the mudroom (Regina’s a stickler for no shoes on her good hardwood floors). He’s greeted by the tiniest member of his family, seven-year-old  Arden.

“Hi, daddy!” Arden is a bright and bubbly child, much like her ten-year-old sister, Haven.

“Hello, my tiny love,” Robin greets her with a grin before peppering her little face with kisses, causing her to squeal in delight.

“You came home early; did nobody’s house catch on fire?” Robin is Captain of unit 118 in Storybrooke, so him making it home on time for dinner is usually a rare occurrence.

“No, but I did help a mum in labor today,” Robin explains; Arden always enjoys hearing about his day and what he does for a living. He wonders if she’ll take up his profession or whether she’ll go the route of her mother and consider a career in politics (Regina’s currently in her second term as Mayor of Storybrooke).

“Was she scared?” Robin makes his way out of the mudroom and into the kitchen where he stands for a few moments and finds the most glorious thing he’s ever seen.

His pregnant wife Regina, is currently dancing around the kitchen with Haven. He can’t help but smile as he watches his wife move fluidly to the music. He also can’t keep his eyes off the alluring rhythm of her hips…it’s what got her pregnant with their third child in the first place. (They both have kids from previous relationships; Henry, with her now-deceased fiancé Daniel, and Roland, from his marriage to his late wife Marian) He smirks to himself as his eyes roam over her six-month-pregnant belly down to those seductive hips.

“Arden, tell your father it’s not nice to stare,” Robin is blinked out of his trance as he realizes that the music has stopped and all three of his girls are staring at him.

Regina simply shakes her head as she moves toward him; she’s got that pregnant waddle now and he makes a mental note to tease her about it later.

“Hello, love,” Robin greets his wife with a kiss as she shakes her head at him, smirking the entire time. Her sex drive has been insatiable the past few weeks, something that Robin doesn’t seem to mind at all.

“Hi, you’re home early,” Regina wraps one arm around Robin’s neck while playfully tickling Arden in the side.

“I am…but I’m on call though,” Robin said, causing Regina to sigh heavily. While she’s glad that Robin loves what he does, she can’t help but worry that he’ll get hurt or worse, killed like Daniel was. Regina said nothing about it, but Robin saw that by the look in her eyes that she wasn’t happy.

“Daddy, mom’s making Mofongo and Arroz Con Gandules,” Haven has made her way towards them as well, wrapping her arms around Robin.

“I smelled it as soon as I walked in; you’re helping her out though, yeah? We’ve got to make sure this little guy isn’t giving her too much grief,” Robin said in reference to the baby.

“I made her take it easy, even though she’s _such_ a control freak,” Haven said with a roll of her eyes, a mischievous grin on her face as Regina playfully shoved her.

“I am not!” Regina laughed.

“I might be inclined to agree with our daughter on this one love, you are _very_ demanding,” Robin said as Regina rolled her eyes at him.

“I’m not and we both know it,” Regina reluctantly pulled away from him, heading back over to the stove where she quickly finished up dinner.

Robin’s mouth watered at the sight of the food some fifteen minutes later as he quickly scarfed it down. He can’t help but compliment his wife on how wonderful the food was. Dinner is full of chatter, especially since 19-year-old Henry is home on break and 23-year-old Roland decided to stop by along with his girlfriend Rebekah. Later that night after the girls have gone to bed, Robin finds himself enticed by his wife’s swaying hips once more, engaging in a glorious round of pregnancy sex before he’s called in to check on an accident. Although he hates to leave her, he can’t help but smile as she rolls over on her side and thinks about how he’s so damn lucky to have been blessed to find the love of his life.

xxx

 


	2. Drinking Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For OQ Valentine's Day; AU, lyrics by Carrie Underwood

_Let me make one thing clear, you can buy me a beer but you ain't taking me home_

_No pick-up lines I came here tonight to shed a few tears on my own_

It's Valentine's Day and she's sitting at the Rabbit Hole, drowning her sorrows over being dumped. Regina Mills runs a hand through her hair as she vaguely listens to her friends gush about their love lives. Mary Margaret is going on about how she thinks David's going to propose soon. Kathryn notices the way her eyes dart around the room and reaches over to grab her hand.

"You okay, Regina?" She blinks and looks back at her friends; oh, right, she's wearing that look, the one that's somewhat sad but borders on murderous.

"Yeah, I'm fine; why wouldn't I be?" she says, putting on her best smile.

"It's okay to not be okay, Regina. I know what happened with Graham was-" Mary Margaret tries but Regina shuts her down immediately.

"I don't wanna talk about Graham," her voice is sharp, hot when she mentions his name; Mary murmurs out a quiet 'sorry' in return.

Graham is the  _last_  person she wants to think about right now. It was already bad enough that he'd dumped her, but to call her a controlling bitch in front of her  _mother_  of all people was something completely different. So, she may be a bit controlling, but he  _knows_  that growing up under Cora's manipulative (and at times abusive) thumb, coupled with Daniel's death, and that stupid lapse in judgment in which she foolishly married Leopold Blanchard, she's had to fight to be in control. It's not her fault that Graham was weak, on top of the fact that he was secretly having an affair with Emma Swan, something he didn't think she knew about.

"Y'know what? Why don't we go out on the dance floor and dance?" her friend Tatiana suggests, quickly grabbing her hand and pulling her out of her seat. Tatiana, or Tink as they call her, is new to the bunch, but Regina has never been more grateful for her in this moment.

_But sittin there across the room I couldn't help but notice you seem a little down on your luck too_

Tink was right, dancing was a  _great_  idea. Though she doesn't necessarily do the bar scene, this bar is one she frequents pretty often. There are nights like tonight when the bar gets slammed, people will make a makeshift dancefloor while the house speakers blast out classics from The Clash, the Stones, a little Nirvana, some Kiss. Tink is her dance partner and she's actually pretty good. Dancing off her frustrations helps, it also makes her thirsty, which is how they end up at the bar. She's ordering a whiskey when she notices him sitting dejectedly in a corner booth. He's…ruggedly handsome for someone whose face is etched in a scowl. From the dimness of the lights, she can see that he's got some scruff for a beard, and for a split second, she has the wild fascination of what it would feel like rubbing against her skin…

"Like what you see?" Tink teases, causing her to roll her eyes.

" _No_ , I just-" Tink lets out an amused chuckle.

"You're a  _terrible_  liar, Regina…his name's Robin by the way," Regina blinks, quickly glances back over at him.  _Robin_ , it fits him, he  _looks_  like his name should be Robin.

Robin is also  _very_  attractive.

He's broody and mysterious, she decides that likes that. She doesn't know what causes it but, she grabs her drink and saunters over to his table. Tink simply grins before going back to the table with their friends. When they ask where Regina went, she simply sips on her drink and nods in the direction of Robin's table.

_I don't know what she did to hurt you like this but I know just what to do_

_It starts with a bottle of good Reposado and ends with a shooter or two…_

Robin Locksley is feeling right dejected.

He's been sitting in this corner booth for the last two hours brooding. His mates Killian, John, Will, and Neal offered to come out with him but he politely refused. He needs time to process what's happened.

His divorce has been finalized, on Valentine's Day of all bloody days.

He didn't see it coming, but apparently, Marian hadn't been happy in years but she stayed because of Roland. When she eventually decided to file, she said that she didn't want Roland to grow up in a broken home. Now, however, she'd suddenly decided that she'd rather Roland know that his parents did the responsible thing and split instead of them showing him an unhealthy relationship.

Robin is, gutted, floored, angry as he should be; his marriage of nearly seven years is over. To help him cope, he orders a whiskey, neat, and downs it within seconds.

Some bloody Valentine's Day this turned out to be…

He's so caught up in his own thoughts that he barely notices her walk up to his table… _barely_.

That plunging neckline is criminal; he thinks before swallowing thickly, giving her a once over.

"Hi," her voice is soft, raspy but carries a velvety tone to it. He means to respond in kind but, the way she's dressed makes him blurt out,

"I'm sorry but, I don't know if it's the ales and whiskey I've had but, you are absolutely, breathtakingly  _stunning_ , in every way," she simply smiles in return and takes a seat at his booth.

"I saw you over at the bar and, you look like you could use a friend," she said softly.

"Robin," He extends a hand for her to shake; she takes it, gives him a sultry smile, finally showing off those pearly whites through that luscious red lipstick that he's got an urge to kiss away.

"Regina," she tells him.

_Tomorrow when the sun comes up, tonight's the night that never was, baby just forget my name..._

They stay there, seated in that corner booth, downing shot after shot until last call; Leroy calls them both a cab. Regina's the more sober of the two while Robin is surprisingly light on his feet; either that or he's more wasted than he let on. She pays the cabbie and tells him to drive them back to her place. Robin is somewhat awake and glances over at her, giving her a dopey smile.

"You never told me his name," he murmurs.

"What?" She's typing out a text to her girls to let them know she's safe and that  _no_ (particularly to Mary Margaret), Robin is  _not_  some serial killer.

"The wanker who broke your heart, what was his name?" Regina clears her throat, shifts uncomfortably and replies,

"Graham," Robin groans, his eyes on her cleavage as he murmurs about how Graham was an idiot.

"Yeah, he was," she replies, just as the cab pulls up in front of her apartment.

"Why don't you come inside; I think Leroy mentioned you having to come back and pick up your keys in the morning when you're sober," they're tumbling out of the cab, Regina still more sober than Robin as she fumbles for her door keys. By the time she turns around to direct Robin inside her apartment he practically falls into her chest.

"S'orry about that," he murmurs, causing Regina to shake her head. It's impulsive but, she tilts his head up and kisses him. Robin responds greatly, his hands moving to her waist as they stumble backward into her apartment; he slams the door shut with the heel of his foot.

~

When he wakes the next morning, he's got a pounding headache.

He pokes one eye open to check out his surroundings; it only takes about five seconds for him to realize that he's not in his own apartment. He still hasn't figured out where he is but wherever he is, the owner's definitely got tasted based on their bedding.

Growing up as a privileged child in Essex he knows bedding very well. He's lying on a soft pillow top mattress and he's more than certain the sheets are Egyptian cotton and based on the feel, it's probably 1,000 count. The room smells, heavenly, like something spicy and warm mixed with some Jasmine and vanilla. The context clues are a dead giveaway that the owner of wherever the hell he is, is a woman. The realization alone causes him to sit up, albeit too quickly. His head is spinning and his stomach does a somersault.

"Please don't puke on my floor, white carpet is _so hard to clean_ ," his head snaps in the direction of the door and there she is, the woman from the bar; he vaguely remembers her name being Regina. However, in this light, she looks…soft. Her hair is damp, unruly curls starting to dry around her temple. Her face is void of any makeup; he suddenly misses that luscious red lipstick from the night before. He also notices that she's much smaller without those killer heels.

She's also wearing a white terry cotton bathroom and nothing else.

He quickly glances down at himself and notices that he's shirtless; glancing underneath the sheets he notices he's not wearing boxers.

"If you're wondering if we slept together last night…we did," Regina says, taking a sip from her mug. It's coffee, Columbian dark roast and it smells heavenly.

"My memory's a bit fuzzy if I'm being honest," Robin sheepishly admits, scratching nervously at the back of his neck.

"It's fine; I don't expect you to remember, because I'd much rather forget," Robin blinks, then frowns.

"Was last night that-"

"Oh, no, last night was… _spectacular_ ," there's a glint in her eyes that quickly goes away as she continues with,"-but it was a lapse in judgment. I was sad, you were sad, we were at a bar and had too much to drink," her arms are folded across her chest and she holds the coffee mug.

Oh, right then; it seems like Robin will be doing the walk of shame. He moves to the edge of the bed, the sheet still covering his waist as he asks,

"Have you seen my-"

"They're in the corner near the closet," Regina murmurs.

Robins nods and stands, still holding the sheet around his waist as he grabs his discarded clothes and puts them on. She has the nerve to look just a bit dejected as he makes his way toward the door, though just as he's about to pass her, she calls out to him.

"Wait!" He glances back at her and there's curiosity in her eyes as she bites her lip

"I, I don't think I'm ready for you to leave just yet," she murmurs, blindly placing her mug on the desk nearby.

" _Are you sure_? Because you were quite clear a few moments ago that-"

"I changed my mind," she says as she wraps her arms around his neck. Robin grins at her, his hands moving to her waist as he drops his clothes near the door and steers them back to bed.

Turns out, Valentine's Day doesn't suck so much after all…

_We should be drinking alone, together_

_Drownin the pain is better_

_With somebody else who got problems_

_We ain't gotta solve em_

_But misery loves company_

_Tonight all I need is a stranger_

_Mixed with a whiskey changer_

_And a corner booth kiss_

_To make me forget that he's gone_

_Oh, we should be drinking alone_

 


	3. Always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU 5x21; What should've happened in "Last Rites"

The first place Robin goes when he enters Regina’s office is straight for his daughter. He holds the little girl close, pressing a kiss to her head.

“Your father’s here and everything will be alright,” Robin tells the babe, though he feels Regina tense at his side.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,”

When he looks up, he realizes that they’re not alone; Hades is there and he’s anything but happy to see them.

“Regina, get back,” Robin gently pushes Regina behind him, placing the baby into her arms.

Hades shakes his head and laughs, slowly moving towards the pair. There’s a menacing look in his eyes as he holds a crystal looking object in his hands.

“Stay away from my daughter,” Robin says bravely, though he notices that Hades’ eyes aren’t on his child but on the other most important woman in his life; Regina.

“Believe me, she’s not the one who’s in danger,”

“Hades stop, this isn’t worth it; if you kill me you’ll lose Zelena forever,” Suddenly, Regina gets it and Robin swears he can hear her let out a shuddering breath behind him as she carefully places the baby into her bassinet.

“You tried to take Zelena away from me and that’s not fair,” Hades tilts his head to the side, staring at Regina as though she were a piece of meat and he were a hungry animal.

“Shh, only if she knows about it,” Hades voice is a whisper of a thing and Regina can see it, the lust craving power in his eyes. He never loved her sister, he loved what she could do for him.

“And this isn’t going to kill you, it’s going to end you; no underworld, no moving on…one minute you exist and the next, you don’t. That’s what you get for trying to turn Zelena against me,” It hits them both, the gravity of the situation; Hades plans on killing either one or both of them. She knows that look, she wore it many times as the Evil Queen; Hades will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Robin is still standing in front of Regina, still trying to protect her; he tries calmly talking to Hades, hoping that it will help.

 

“This was my idea to break in here; use that on me, let her go,” Robin is brave as ever as Hades’ eyes light up with glee, pointing the crystal at him. Hades pretends to contemplate his decision but Robin already knows the answer.

“Oh, sorry, ladies first,” Hades aims the crystal at Regina; Robin, ever the hero, jumps in front of her, sending them both falling to the ground in the process. The lightning bolt shatters against the back wall, startling the baby as a result.

“Robin? Robin! Robin, wake up!” Regina is frantic as she shakes her soulmate who’s seemingly unconscious. Hades walks towards them, watching as she cradles him in what looks to be a final embrace.

“Oh, don’t worry, you won’t be apart long,” Hades coos; however, just as he’s about to end them, Zelena rushes into the room

“Regina, Robin? What the bloody hell is going on? Hades, what are you doing?” Zelena looks back and forth between her sister and her true love.

“They said they were going to kill you, as your true love, I’m trying to protect you,” Hades is still pointing the crystal at Robin and Regina.

“That’s a lie!” Robin shouts as Zelena pulls out pieces of paper from Henry’s storybook.

“ _Is it_? Because I just found Emma and these! You wanted to kill him!” Zelena’s hands are shaking as she holds up the drawing of she and Hades in the Enchanted Forest.

“I was trying to protect you Zelena, he’s been lying to you since the minute his heart started beating,” Zelena turns to face Hades, needing answers from him.

“Is it true? Did you trap them in the Underworld?” Hades eyes remain fixated on Robin and Regina.

“I did it for you, so we wouldn’t have to hurt anybody but now they’re here and the only way to be safe is to create a new kingdom, _our kingdom_!” Zelena horrified, absolutely horrified by what she’s seeing; she glances over and can see as well as hear her child wailing in the background.

“So you were just going to do this, kill them both with my child in the room? Hades he’s her father! Regina’s my sister!” There are tears in Zelena’s eyes as she looks at Hades, pleads with him.

“She won’t remember him; they were going to steal her away from you. They weren’t going to let you see her! They came here to kidnap your daughter, Regina doesn’t trust you. Listen to me Zelena, if we end them, if we destroy them and create our own kingdom, we can have everything we ever dreamed of!”

“Why can’t we just be happy together?! Why do we need a kingdom!?” Hades finally spares a glance at Zelena, and there’s a faint but pitiful smile on his face as he speaks.

“This is about getting back at the families who never believed in us; remember what I told you, there’s no better revenge…”

“Than having it all,” Zelena says quietly; there is a subtle glance exchanged by the two sisters that Hades doesn’t notice.

Suddenly, Regina is on her feet, shoving Hades aside, but just as she reaches for the Olympian Crystal, Zelena picks it up. Hades is on his feet again in seconds, his eyes dancing with glee as he watches the exchange between the two sisters.

“It’s okay, use it; end her and then finish him off,” Hades says, just as Robin lets out a little groan from his place on the floor.

“Zelena, I do believe in you; I defended you when no one else did. I wanted so badly for you to find love, but sometimes love, blinds us. Hades tried to kill me already…” Regina’s voice is emotional, her eyes full of tears and fear as she speaks.

“No, she’s lying,” Hades eyes dart between the two sisters in fear of what might come next.

“Robin was willing to give up his life, to protect me, to protect your daughter; that’s sacrifice. It’s giving up everything for the people you love, but Hades won’t give up a single thing for you. Like he said, he wants it all,” There’s something in Regina’s words that makes Zelena’s head snap up as she glances at Hades.

“Don’t listen to her; she doesn’t think you deserve to be happy. Look at this office, look at this town, this all belonged to her when you had nothing! Remember?” Hades is standing right next to Zelena, talking in her ear, using everything that she’s struggled with to get her to listen to him. He’s playing on her weaknesses, her desire of wanting to be loved.

“Of course I do!” Zelena is angry, hurt and confused; what should she do? The only thing that keeps floating through her head are Regina’s previous words.

_Hades won’t give up a single thing for you; like he said, he wants it all_

“All you have to do, is kill her, and you can have everything you ever wanted,” Hades whispers, he thinks he’s got her, he thinks that he’s won, that Zelena is going to do what he wants and end her sister.

She raises the crystal, aiming at Regina, who looks fearful; she glances at Robin, who’s moved to a sitting position as he gently cradles the baby.

“Zelena, please, don’t do this…think about our daughter,” Robin’s eyes are pleading, though they’re focused solely on Regina.

“Do it, if you don’t, I will,” Hades lets out a breathy, manic, laugh as he watches the scene unfold.

“All I ever wanted was love, you told me that was enough for you; now I realize, nothing ever will be!” Zelena shouts as she turns and stabs Hades with the Olympian Crystal. It’s a shock to not only him, but to Robin and Regina as well.

“Zelena!” Everyone watches in shock as Hades incinerates into a pile of ash before their eyes.

Immediately, Regina rushes towards Robin as he pulls her into his arms, pressing his lips against her head, her nose and her mouth as their tears mix together. They’re still careful of the baby pressed between them as they embrace.

“Are you alright? I thought I was going to lose you” Robin’s free hand cradles the side of her face as she stares at him.

“You’re an idiot; I almost lost you, Robin! Don’t you ever do that to me again!” Regina chokes out as she buries her head into his chest, breathing in the all too familiar scent of forest and pine, one she thought would be lost to her forever.

“I will risk my life and give it a thousand times to keep you, Henry and my children safe. Regina, I love you,” Robin tells her before softly pressing a kiss to her lips. Once they part, his eyes are fixated on Zelena, who’s staring at the pile of ash that was once her true love.

“Go, she needs you, we’ll be fine, won’t we sweetheart?” Robin glances down at the child in his arms before releasing Regina so that she can go be with her sister.

Zelena is hysterical as her legs give way; her face is buried in her hands as she sobs over Hades. Regina carefully approaches her sister, reaching out to gently place a hand on her shoulder. Zelena looks up at her with tears in her eyes as she reaches for Regina’s hand. She kneels down and allows her sister to sob in her arms.

oOoOo

Regina finds Zelena in their family crypt a few days later with an urn of what she presumes are Hades ashes. Zelena looks up, completely startled when she hears her sister come in.

“I know I have no right to be here but-“ Regina holds up a hand to silence her before moving to stand next to her.

“What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours,” Regina says quietly, keeping her eyes on the urn Zelena picked out for Hades.

“You were right, you were right about everything,” There’s a bit of bitterness to Zelena’s voice as she speaks, something Regina can understand.

“I didn’t wanna be right Zelena; if I could’ve stopped Hades-“

“He would’ve killed you, or Robin,” There’s a pang of fear when she thinks of just how close she came to losing him that day.

“I meant what I said that day; I wanted you to find love, and I still do,” She reaches out to give her sister’s hand a squeeze.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to love anyone other than my daughter at this point, and I’m not even sure I can do that properly. That child doesn’t deserve me, she deserves you and Robin; you both can give her something I’m not ready to,”

“Zelena-“

“I’m not giving up on her I just…she needs you and Robin right now. You’re both parents and you love your children unconditionally,” Regina moves to stand in front of her sister, placing her hands on her shoulders.

“You were willing to give your daughter to Robin and I to ensure that she stayed safe from Hades. That’s what parents do; they put their children before themselves,” Regina wraps an arm around her sister and gives her a squeeze.

“I get what you’re saying Regina I really do but, I’m not there yet. I don’t know when I will be but…I need time. I think I’m going to go back to the Enchanted Forest for a while, to clear my head. I obviously can’t go back to Oz with Dorothy being there and all, but the Enchanted Forest is virtually quiet, I need to find me.” It’s not what Regina wants to hear, but she can respect her sister’s wishes.

“I want you to take something with you; it’s an enchanted mirror, so that we can keep in touch,” Zelena smiles as she holds the mirror in her hands before giving her sister one last hug.

“I’ll come by and see my daughter tomorrow before I leave,” Zelena says as she stands up, Regina standing with her.

“You can’t leave without naming her,” Zelena smiles lovingly at her sister.

“After all I’ve done, I think Robin deserves to name her; I’m sure he’ll pick out something far better than I could’ve thought of,” The two share a hug before exiting the crypt and going their separate ways.

oOo

When she opens the front door to her home, Roland is the first to greet her, crashing into her legs.

“Hide me, Regina! The ogre’s gonna get me!” Roland’s voice is high pitched as he hides behind her legs, peering out when he sees Henry slide his way into the foyer.

Regina smiles at her eldest son when he makes a growling noise and makes a move towards Roland.

“Regina, he’s gonna eat me, help!” Roland shouts clinging to Regina’s leg.

Regina holds out her hands, a mixture of purple and white magic coming from her palms as she pushes Henry away from Roland. The magic is light, not enough harm to do anything to hurt him. Henry laughs as he tries to continue moving towards Roland, reaching out his hands to grab the boy. Regina laughs at her boys before joining in on the fun, after a few moments she finds Robin standing at the edge of the staircase, the baby safely nestled in his arms.

“Well, it looks like you lot are having fun,” Robin smiles as he moves closer to his family.

Roland is the first to greet him, Henry trailing close behind, giving Robin a smile as Regina stands there staring at her family. She thinks back to just a few days ago when she almost lost this, her perfect little family. Her eyes water with tears as she looks at them, Henry, Roland, Robin, the baby…the baby who still has no name.

“We should name her, we can’t keep calling her ‘the baby’ forever,” Regina says, causing Robin to look up at her with a smile.

“Indeed we should…Zelena, did she have any-“

“No, she said you would come up with something far better than she could,” Robin nods as everyone heads into the living room.

Naming the baby is a group effort, with everyone suggesting names, though most of Roland’s are cast aside. Chocolate Ice Cream Locksley isn’t exactly suiting for a child, regardless of their weird and crazy family.

“How about Rowan?” Henry suggests.

“Rowan?”

“Yeah, it’s got quite a few meanings to it, but they all relate to our family in some way. In some translations, it can mean the color Red or little red-haired one. The one I like most is the Rowan tree, which is known to be quite powerful,”

“Rowan Locksley…it’s got quite a ring to it, what do you think Regina?” Robin is looking over at her, trying to gauge her reaction to the name.

“I like it, it represents you both, it’s got ties to the forest and its quite powerful.” She peers over at the baby who is peacefully resting in her father’s arms, her tiny fingers fisting at the lapels of his coat.

“Then it's settled, Rowan Locksley it is,” Robin says, cooing down at his daughter who lets out a gurgling noise.

“Wait, she needs a middle name,” Henry informs him as Robin looks rather confused.

“A middle name?”

“It’s quite common in this land; Henry’s middle name is Daniel, after-“

“Your first love?” There’s no malice or ill when he mentions Daniel as her first love. He understands, knows that her heart will always pine for him.

“Yes, after my first love,”

There’s a bit of silence after that as everyone tries to think of a middle name for the baby. Again, Roland’s ideas are tossed out because he’s five-and-a-half and thinks of quite ridiculous names for a baby.

“What about Marie? I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about naming her after Marian but…I thought it would be nice to remember her in some type of way,” Robin’s eyes shine with unshed tears at the suggestion from Regina. He reaches out and squeezes her hands, whispering out a quiet ‘thank you’.

“So, Rowan Marie Locksley? It fits; welcome to the family kid,” Henry says, leaning over to caress the baby’s cheek with the back of his hand.

“Do I get a new name too?” Roland pipes up, glancing between his father and Regina who simply chuckle.

“I suppose so, he’ll be starting school soon and he can’t very well go as Roland Hood,” Robin says as Regina agrees.

“How about Xavier, after your grandpa mom?” Regina beams at her son at the name suggests.

“What do you think? Would you like to be Roland Xavier Locksley?” Regina asks as Roland taps his chin, sticking his tongue out inbetween his teeth as he contemplates the decision.

“I like Roland Xavier Locksley Mills, that way I have your last name too,” Regina and Robin exchange glances. There hasn’t been much talk of their being a marriage between the two of them (they haven’t had time to talk about anything really), but it’s always an option for them.

“How about just Roland Locksley? That way if I marry your father someday, I can be a Locksley too,” Roland beams at the idea of Regina being a Locksley, though Henry’s eyes are wide with shock; that’s a conversation they’ll be having later.

“Yeah! Then you’ll be a Locksley like Papa and Rowan and me!” Roland claps excitedly but then he stops when he looks over at Henry.

“But, Henry will still be a Mills,” Roland points out.

“It doesn’t matter what last names we have Ro, we’re still a family. My other mom Emma’s last name is Swan and my dad’s last name was Cassidy. I only have Regina’s last name because she adopted me. Does that make sense to you?” The little boy nods his head before he focuses on his new name.

“So I’m Roland Xavier Locksley then?” Robin nods, reaching out to ruffle his son’s hair with a smile.

“Yes, you’re most definitely Sir Roland Locksley,” Robin chuckles, watching as his little boy makes a dramatic bow before scurrying off upstairs with Henry to continue playing their game of Ogre wars.

“Well we’re alone lovely, well, seemingly alone,” Robin says as Regina scoots closer to him, snuggling against his chest.

“We are…can you believe our little family is complete, and I don’t ever wanna lose it,” Regina murmurs, feeling the lump of emotions of getting to this point where she can have happiness and not feel the threat of impending doom.

“Hey, we’ll always have each other, no matter what. It’s like you said earlier, right? I’m with you,” Robin says, running a hand through her hair as she presses their foreheads together before finishing his sentence,

“Always,”

xxx

 

 

 


	4. Of Witchly, Scary, Magic Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; In which Regina and Robin's teenage daughter saves the town from the Horned King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to @QueenOfTheMerryMen for making it almost impossible for me not to see Ben Barnes as Adult Roland, lmao. This story features Princess Isabel from Elena of Avalor as well as the Horned King from Disney's The Black Cauldron. I did not write this entirely on my own, it was adapted from a thing I did on my Regina Mills roleplay account with a friend.   
> P.S. Enjoy the implied OutlawQueen sex at the start of this fic.

It started out like any other morning in the Locksley Mills house.

Robin Locksley was up with the sun while his wife slept soundly beside him. It was summertime, so that meant the children were bound to sleep late into the day, or, as late as their mother would let them sleep in on a Saturday. Saturdays were meant for sleeping in, brunch at Granny’s Diner, playdates, and shopping trips. Some Saturdays were reserved for Robin doing yardwork while Regina spent the afternoon in her garden whilst the children went on an adventure of some sort.

Yes, a Saturday morning in the Locksley Mills house could mean just about anything.

On this particular morning, Robin found himself awakened due to a rather painful erection. At first, he wasn’t sure if it was because he needed to take his usual morning piss or because he was still thinking about the events of the previous date night with his wife. Even after being married for nearly two decades, she still knew how to make him feel young again. They tried to schedule in at least one date night a week, which, after going through what they had over the years was a necessity in order for their marriage to survive. Of course, more often than not, date night ended with Robin buried balls deep inside his wife as she toppled over the edge. Thank god she was an all-powerful witch that enjoyed soundproofing their bedroom, lest they’d have to explain to their children why their mum spent several hours a night shouting, crying, and swearing.

After reluctantly climbing out of bed to relieve himself, Robin quickly learned that it wasn’t just a regular morning wood that came with needing to piss. No, there was something _else_ he wanted this morning, and it happened to be in the form of his wife’s sinfully naked back. He carefully climbed into bed, scooting just so that he could wrap his arms around her whilst she slept soundly. He truly loved her in these moments where she seemed so small tucked against him, no makeup on, no six-inch heels, no form-fitting skirts, and tight blouses. In these moments she wasn’t the Evil Queen or the Mayor or the Queen of the United Realms. She was simply Regina, lover, mum, wife, and most of all, his soulmate.

He reached over and caressed her cheek, smiling to himself when he felt her sigh deeply in her sleep, completely unphased by his touch. He brushed some of her hair back, preparing to wake her with a series of kisses when her voice startled him.

“Didn’t you get enough last night?” Her eyes were still closed and her voice soft, still full of sleep as her breathing evened out.

“ _Of you_? **Never**. Good Morning, Mrs. Locksley,” his lips were at her neck as he kept his eyes on her.

While she didn’t use the surname opting to keep her own last name, she still reveled in the joy of being someone’s wife. It was the first time where she’d been given an option to be with someone. While she had truly loved Daniel, attempting to marry him at the time was an act of desperation; a desire to be away from her mother. She doesn’t acknowledge her marriage to Leopold-may he rot in hell. It was nothing more than an arranged marriage, one between her mother, Leopold, and a young Snow White. She’d had no say so in the matter whatsoever, which is why she felt no remorse in killing her now late husband.

With Robin, it was a choice, _her choice_ ; she’d given her heart to him without abandon. She’d chosen him and he’d chosen to love her despite her flaws and despite her past. This, she often thought to herself, was love was supposed to look like.

Regina smiled softly as he kissed along the side of her neck, sighing heavily before finally rolling over into his waiting arms.

“Mm. Hi. What time is it?” she asked, suppressing a yawn as Robin looked at her as though she hung the moon and stars.

“Barely six a.m.,” he said with a grin, though she didn’t return it. Instead, she scowled at him, smacking him across the arm.

“Robin!”

“Ow! What was that for?!” Robin asked, gently rubbing his arm; for someone so tiny, her fists really did hurt.

“For waking me up at six a.m.…. _why can’t you sleep in like a normal person_?” she groaned, turning over, grabbing a pillow and putting it over her head.

“Most people who sleep in on Saturday mornings don’t get to have earth-shattering orgasms while their husbands fuck them senseless,” Robin teased; the sheet had fallen down, allowing Robin to trail his fingertips along her spine, massing gently once he got to the curve of her rear.

“We just had sex last night!” Regina whined, her head still covered by the pillow, muffling her complaint.

“I’ll do that thing you like; the one where my fingers are buried knuckle deep inside you while I suck at your tits and my fingers press down into you just so and you let out that sexy little whine that goes straight to my cock…” Robin’s voice has trailed off; his lips are now kissing along her back, his hands underneath the covers as he massages and grips at his wife’s incredible arse. He smirks smugly to himself when he feels her thighs clench together. It seems as if this little early morning flirting is starting to pay off.

“Come on lovely, you don’t have to do anything except lie here while I eat you out, make you come on my fingers and with my tongue,” He knows its working because despite her head still being underneath the pillow, he can see the way her breathing deepens. He’s got her right where he wants her.

“If it helps, I’d _really_ love it if you sat on my face; it’s quite enjoyable for both of us. Me moreso because I get to truly see you from up there,” he says, kissing at her shoulder blade before continuing,

“I get to see you, to look into your eyes; y’know, you’re quite cute when you’re all riled up in pleasure. You do this thing I love where you fist your hands into your hair and your stomach muscles clench and your thighs shake when I run my tongue-“ He doesn’t get to finish his sentence because Regina has finally rolled over (point one for Locksley), pulling him into a whiney, needy kiss, one that he simply chuckles into, running his fingers through her hair.

“You are so mean,” she mumbles against his lips as he reaches down to push those messy curls of hers out of her face.

“Turned you on didn’t it?” he says smugly as Regina rolls her eyes.

“I’m not saying anything,”

“You don’t have to; your nipples are quite hard and your face is all tense; just admit it, you enjoy these early morning wake up calls just as much as I do,” Robin’s hands are casually gripping and squeezing at her breasts, rolling her now hardened nipples between his pointer and thumb fingers as her back arches to him.

“Shut up, and do that thing I like,” she mutters, reaching up to grip his hair and pull him down for another kiss.

They’re reluctantly pulled out of bed just before nine; Robin managed to make her come five times.

 ~

Regina is far too out of it to cook this morning, so they settle on breakfast at Granny’s. So much has changed since they first met back in the Enchanted Forest all those years ago. Regina was now Queen of The United Realms, they had been married for a little nearly two decades at this point. Henry and Roland were both adults, Henry having one child and another baby on the way while Roland was a newlywed with a child from a previous relationship. What was surprising was that Robin and Regina had gone on to have three children of their own; Haven who was now a teenager and their twins, Arden and Sayer.

While the boys may be grown, not much has changed about their routine of Saturday Morning breakfast at Granny’s. They opt for the table near the front window, seeing as they can all fit, for the most part.

Regina and Robin are all smiles as they walk into the diner holding hands, Haven, Sayer, and Arden trailing behind. Regina’s smile turns into a grin when Henry’s two-and-a-half-year-old Lucia rushes toward her.

“Hi, my sweet girl!” She loves being a grandma, though she detests the name, feeling that she’s far too young for such an elderly title.

“Hi nana, hi pop-pop!” Lucy is soon in Robin’s arms as he tickles her and does his usual doting grandfather routine as they all settle into their seats.

 “Well, if it isn’t my favorite family,” Granny Lucas has become a staple in their lives over the years. She’s had a major hand in taking care of Haven, Sayer, and Arden. Robin and Regina look to her as a mother of sorts and truly appreciate all that she’s done for their family.

Everyone gives Granny warm greetings, with the little ones immediately rushing out of their seats to greet her.

“So, what’ll it be?” Granny asks as everyone rattles off their order

Robin orders his usual breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon with coffee.

Regina orders her usual omelet with eggs, spinach, feta cheese, and tomatoes with a hash brown and an order of orange juice.

The children order the breakfast special.

They’re halfway through brunch when Regina’s cell phone rings; it's Emma.

“Hey, Emma what’s…what? No, I’m at Granny’s having brunch with…and you’re sure? Alright, well, try and get everyone to safety. Have you at least called Mal? Emma...with Gold off galivanting with Belle and Gideon that she’s the most…fine, meet me at Granny’s in ten,” Regina hung up the phone, sighing heavily and shaking her head slowly at her family looked at her.

“Looks like brunch is over, huh?” Roland says as Regina sighs sadly, pressing a kiss to Lucia’s head.

“Some creature’s escaped,” she said with a shake of her head.

“I thought Storybrooke was protected from stuff like that?” Haven questioned.

“It is but, sometimes things happen honey,” Regina said 

“What do we need to do?” Isabel asked

“Well first, we need to get Kira and the kids somewhere safe,"

“I’ll take them; it’ll be faster if I use my magic…I hope you don’t mind Kira?” Isabel said to her sister-in-law, who then looked to Henry.

“It’ll be fine babe, these things happen pretty often,” Henry explained as he took Lucy from his mother.

“I’ll see you soon Lucy, okay?” Lucy nodded at her father as he placed her into her mother’s arms.

“I’ll be back in a second,” Isabel said before disappearing into a cloud of white smoke.

“What do you need from us mom?” Henry and Roland stood up.

“Well, I’d have loved it if you three had gone with Isabel and Kira,” Regina said as Henry and Roland shared a look.

“Please, I’m an adult, so is Roland; we’ve been on more rescue missions that we should’ve been allowed on. You can’t use your scary Evil Queen voice to make us leave; we’re helping and that’s final,” Henry said, giving Regina a look that was so much her she couldn’t help but shake her head.

“And you agree with him on this?” Roland simply shrugged.

“Henry’s got a point ma. I know far too much about rescue operations than I should; we’re helping, whether you want us to or not,”

“Seeing as you’re both stubborn, fine; you can help…by going to my vault and trying to figure out how the hell we’re supposed to defeat this thing,” Henry and Roland sighed heavily but agreed. In a flash of purple smoke, they were transported to Regina’s vault.

“Mom, what do you want me to do?” Haven asked as Regina sighed.

“Stay here,”

“Are you serious? I’m not a child! I can help!” Haven protested; while she may have been reluctant to use magic, she’d been training with Mal since she first started showing signs of her powers.

“Haven, no,” Regina said as Haven sighed.

“But mom-“

“You may be learning magic, but the Horned King is way out of your league,” she said as Haven frowned.

“Are you serious right now!? Henry and Roland don’t even have magic-“

“Haven, I am not arguing about this with you; Henry and Roland are in my vault and they’re safe,”

“Oh, so they get to help, and I don’t?”

“You don’t pay attention when Mal and I are trying to teach you spells,” Regina said, giving Haven a look.

“So because I tend to zone out when you’re going over the boring stuff-“

“And this is exactly why you’re not helping,” Regina said, heading for the door.

“So, I’m just supposed to stay here?”

“You can either stay here or you can have Isabel take you back to the house with Kira and the kids,” Regina said as Haven rolled her eyes but resigned herself to being stuck at Granny’s. The old woman was already standing behind the counter, her crossbow at the ready as she looked at Regina.

“I don’t know what it is but-“Granny nodded.

“I’ll make sure she’s alright; you just figure out what the hell is going on,” and with that, Granny closed the door to the diner, switching the sign from ‘open’ to ‘closed’ before closing the blinds.

~

Regina and Robin walked hand-in-hand outside the diner just as Emma, Hook, Snow, Charming, and Mal met them.

“What exactly are we up against?” Regina asked.

“The Horned King; ancient Welsh creature. His goal is to create an undead army of sorts. The only way to defeat him is a sacrifice, a _human_ sacrifice,” Mal said.

Suddenly, everyone had to cover their ears at the screeching sound they heard; it was so loud that it blew out car and shop windows nearby. Marching down the street was a nearly ten-foot giant, along with an army who looked as if they should be on an episode of the Walking Dead. The giant man, whom they presumed was the Horned King, spoke in a language that seemed foreign to everyone, except Mal and Regina.

“Oh no, he’s reciting the spell,”

“What spell?” Robin asked.

“He’s casting the curse, the spell of the undead,” Regina said.

“So basically, we’re about to fight in the zombie apocalypse? Great; I’ve seen Wicked Witches, Dragons, Vampires, and Flying Monkeys in this town, why not add zombies to the list too?” Regina rolled her eyes, ignoring Emma’s comment.

“How do we defeat them?” Emma asked as everyone turned to face Regina, who was clearly the leader in this situation.

“The only way is for someone to sacrifice themselves,” Regina explained

“Okay, anything _other_ than human sacrifice?” Charming asked.

“ _How the hell should I know_? This is where Gold would give us some snarky comment about what to do,”

“Well Gold is in dispose at the moment with his little librarian, so that means you’re in charge,” Mal said.

“Henry and Roland are in my vault looking for a way to defeat it, so until then…we try and stop it,” she said as the heroes marched forward.

~

Haven sat in Granny’s with a frustrated huff; it didn’t take long for word to get out that something dangerous was happening in town. Everything had been shut down and no one was to leave their home. She sat at the counter, texting with friends as Granny placed a cup of hot cocoa with cinnamon in front of her.

“You look like you could use a cup,” the old woman said, causing Haven to smile.

“This isn’t fair; I’m seventeen! At my age, Henry had been on dozens of rescue missions,” Haven said.

“Henry also had another mother and a set of grandparents who pretty much went against every decision Regina made when it came to that boy. She wants you, Arden, and Sayer to have a normal childhood, something neither one of your brothers really had. At least, Henry did until Emma came to town,” Haven sighed heavily.

“I just…I want to feel like I belong. I know I have magic, but mom says I'm not ready and yet everyone’s still expecting me to be some sort of savior or hero or…it’s not fair! I’m tired of reading about heroes in Henry’s books. It’s time I became one of my own,” Granny gave Haven a knowing look.

“You may want to become one, but today’s not the day to try…now, what’ll it be?”

“A burger with fries sounds good…and maybe with a beer?” She smiled hopefully.

“Not a chance in hell on that beer; a burger with fries coming right up,” Granny smiled at the young girl before heading into the kitchen.

Haven sat at the booth a few moments longer; most of her friends were safe inside their homes with their parents. She looked around the diner; not many people were inside. Though the blinds were closed, she could hear the shouts and horns blaring.

“I can’t sit around and wait anymore; I’m going out there to help even if it kills me. I’m the daughter of the Evil Queen and Robin Hood. I’m just as much of a hero as they are; if Henry and Roland get to participate in all the fun then so should I…I’m going,” She sat at the counter a few moments longer; Granny’s wolf senses were sharp. When she was sure the old woman wasn’t looking, she hopped off her stool and headed towards the back.

What she wasn’t counting on was Ruby to be standing there, hands on her hips.

“I’m just going to the bathroom, honest; between, you, Granny, and my mom, there’s no way in hell I’d be able to get out of here,” Ruby gave Haven a suspicious look but said nothing as she headed back into the diner.

Once she was sure Ruby was with another customer, Haven quietly crept into the bathroom. She looked around for a window and sure enough, there it was sitting just over the last stall. She locked the door behind her and made her way into the last stall. Standing carefully on the stool, she was able to quickly hoist herself up and through the window.

Thank God for having a father who knew how to make hasty exits.

~

Main Street was in complete chaos.

There were busted windows, broken street lamps,  and turned over cars littering the street. The heroes had done their best, but the Horned King and his army of undead proved to be much too powerful. The only ones who remained standing at this point were Regina and Mal. Emma was still pretty solid, but she wasn’t as strong as Regina and Mal. Turning to her friend, Regina shook her head and sighed; it seemed as if they weren’t going to win this one. Thankfully, Henry and Roland had remained in her vault, though they had no updates about how to defeat these damn creatures aside from someone making the ultimate sacrifice.

“I’ve had about enough of this,” Regina said as she walked into the middle of Main Street. The Horned King had done no real damage himself; he simply stood, grinning proudly as his undead minions did all the work for him.

“Hey, Horned King!” Regina shouted; finally, the Horned King seemed interested in the battle. He stalked towards her, a sinister grin on his face.

“Have you morons had enough yet, or are you here for me to kill you personally?”

“Let’s you and I make a deal,” Regina grinned, though the Horned King simply laughed.

“ _Me_? Make a deal with _you_? No thanks, I stopped taking orders from witches like you a long time ago,” Regina shook her head.

“I was afraid you’d say something like that,” Raising her hands, Regina sent a blast of light magic towards the horned king, though it barely affected him. He stumbled slightly and laughed.

“Is that all you’ve got? Some great and powerful Evil Queen you’re supposed to be. More like puny little munchkin to me,” Regina scowled at the beast, feeling the surge of dark magic rise within her.

“Oh? Is that all you think I’ve got? Trust me thorny, I’ve come across foes far greater and far stronger than you in my day,” Again, Regina raise her hands, thrusting them out in front of her as a blend of purple and black magic calm from her palms, this time, stronger than her light magic, enough to send the horned king flying into a nearby building.

“You wanna play with the Queen? I’ll show you how to play,” Regina snarled as she marched toward him.

~

It didn’t take Haven long to get out of Granny’s and into the back ally. She was a bit spooked; she could feel the energy in the air. She could smell the burning of tires, could see the dangling electrical wires.

Whatever had come to Storybrooke was bad.

Haven was careful not to take the back allies behind Granny’s, lest she be seen by both the old wolf and her parents. She came out on the side of the bakery. What she saw nearly left her breathless.

Standing in the middle of Main Street was her mother, suspended in air by a giant horned beast.

“Mom!” Haven shouted, though she instantly regretted it when she locked eyes with the horned beast.

This was bad, this was really, really bad.

~

She hadn’t meant to get distracted, but those damned zombie undead creatures managed to grab her, tossing her to the ground.  Luckily, Emma had stepped in and killed the damn thing, saving her from having her eyes clawed out. All she had to do now was get back to the Horned King. What she wasn’t counting on, was for him to pull out a wand, but not just any wand, the wand of the Black Fairy. No one knew how he’d gotten it; the Black Fairy’s wand had been protected by the strongest magic known to man. Somehow, he’d gotten his hands on it and planned to do some serious damage. With a flick of his wrist, the Horned King was able to disable her magic, a feat that had never been done before. It wasn’t long before Regina found herself flying through the air, her body hitting the windshield of a car. She was stunned for a few moments but eventually was able to get up.

She had just made it to her feet when she felt herself suddenly suspended in midair by magic. Immediately, she began to panic, being taken back to a time when Cora had used this particular brand of magic as her preferred form of abuse. The Horned King seemed to get quite the enjoyment of seeing her squirm.

“Is this weak woman your Queen? Is she supposed to save you from me?” He shouted, his voice echoing down Main Street, causing some of the residents to come out of hiding.

“That’s right, come on out citizens of Storybrooke, come and watch your Queen die!” He shouted.

Regina glanced around as more and more townsfolk came and stood, some watching in fear while others in silent glee as she felt the lifeforce (and power) being sucked from her.

“There’s no escaping me, your majesty,” he said, reaching out to caress her cheek. Regina jerked her head away, anger filling her voice as she growled,

“If you’re gonna kill me, do it now, because when I get away from you, you’re gonna wish you’d killed me,” Horned King simply laughed, tightening his grip on her, pushing the tiniest of whimpers out of her.

“Just give up already,”

“Never,” Regina croaked, just as Robin rushed towards the Horned King, bow and arrow in hand. The beast simply laughed, using his magic to toss Robin across the street and into the wall with a sickening thud.

Regina felt her body starting to succumb to what could very well be an eternal slumber…until she heard an all too familiar voice.

“Mom!” She glanced around quickly, her eyes connecting with a certain someone.

Haven.

Haven was outside and was shouting for her. Regina saw her rush toward her a few steps before stopping.

“Haven, go back to Granny’s, now!” She was tired, but her voice was strong as she called out to her daughter. Though her heart stopped when she noticed that the Horned King had spotted Haven, who now seemed rooted where she stood.

“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” The Horned King said, his head tilted to the side in genuine interest.

“You lay one hand on my daughter and I swear I’ll-“ Regina didn’t get to finish her sentence. The Horned King used his magic, sending a painful, electric sort of pain shooting through Regina’s body, causing her to cry out.

“Haven…run!” Regina managed after her moments, hoping that her daughter wouldn’t choose today to let her stubborn Mills streak show.

~

Haven was terrified, though she pretended not to let it show as she locked eyes with the Horned King. Regina and Haven shared an incredible bond, one that could only be explained by the fact that she was a child of soulmates. She felt an intense connection with her mother, much like the one her father felt. Regina was Haven’s whole world and she hers; Haven was her child of choice, one that she’d carried in her womb. The love and bond mother and daughter shared was undeniable to anyone who saw them. Seeing Regina in such pain, in danger like this, shook Haven to her core. She didn’t want to lose her mom; damn herself, she needed Regina to be alive.

“Leave her alone,” Haven said shakily before being overtaken with fear when she saw how easily he was able to hurt Regina. Of course, she’d heard her mother tell her to run, but she couldn’t; there was no way in hell she could go back inside knowing that this beast now had the power to kill her mother. That was all it took to ignite that stubborn Mills streak she’d had since she was a little girl.

“Let. Her. Go.” Haven said, glaring at the Horned King, who seemed to be quite amused. Though Regina, however, saw a sudden spark in Haven’s eyes; one that was so eerily close to the Evil Queen that it sent a shiver down her spine. While Haven had been training with Maleficent over the years, she still struggled with control. She no longer had nosebleeds, but using her power often left her weak. Today, though, something felt different; today, Haven’s power seemed stronger than ever.

The Horned King, however, was not impressed by Haven’s attitude. As a sign of power, squeezed Regina once more, sending yet another shock of electric pain coursing through her body, causing her to scream once again. He looked over at Robin, who had been helped over to where the rest of the heroes were by Snow and Charming, and smiled, calling out to him in a taunting manner,

“Does she scream this way for you in the bedroom?” Robin glared at the beast, more than ready to lunge toward him.

“Robin, stop!” Emma said.

“What do you mean stop!? That bloody creature has my wife and could well go after my daughter next!” Robin shouted, about to charge at the creature again, though this time it was Hook who stopped him.

“Step aside mate,” Robin growled.

“I think the Queen would rather you alive and in one piece, mate,” Robin glared at Hook and then glanced up at Regina, who looked absolutely terrible. He remained where he was, absolutely heartbroken that there was virtually nothing he could do to help her. Suddenly, he turned to Mal, desperation in his eyes.

“Surely you can help? You’re a dragon, you-“

“He’s at least three centuries older than me, possibly even older than Rumpelstiltskin himself. I know how much this upsets you, thief but I can’t help Regina,”

“And why the bloody hell not!?”

“Because he…he disarmed by powers as well; I’m just as useless as the rest of you. And before you even think about asking Emma, she can’t help either. He may not have disarmed her power, but she’s nowhere near strong enough to help Regina, savior or not,”

“So I’m just supposed to, what…sit there and watch that, that beast kill two of the people I love?”

“No, you pray for a miracle; that Henry and Roland can find something in one of Regina’s spellbooks, either that or that Haven’s been paying attention during our lessons,” Mal said grimly.

“So, we’re putting our fate, _Regina’s fate_ , in the hands of my seventeen-year-old?” Robin asked.

“At this point, she’s our only hope,”

~

The Horned King turned his sights on Haven again, grinning when she demanded that he let her mother go.

“And what are you gonna do about it?” he said with a smirk, feeling a sense a pride come over himself as he thought Haven would be smart and run away. Though he frowned when she stood her ground; glancing down at Regina he said,

“It would appear that someone inherited their mother’s inability to listen. Run along little girl…unless you’d like to become my new pet,” he said, his eyes roaming over Haven’s body as his mind thought wicked thoughts of what he could do to her.

“You touch her and I’ll-“ Regina was yet again squeezed by the Horned King, though this time, the electric bolts of searing, lightening pain that struck her body was so powerful, Regina was sure she’d die; her screams of agony echoed for miles down the street.

“Learn to speak when you’re spoken to, witch,” he said glaring down at her.

Once the pain subsided and she felt like she could speak again, Regina desperately looked at her daughter, pleading one last time,

“Haven…go now!” Regina panted, nearly out of breath, struggling to stay conscious.

“I…I’m not afraid of you. Y…you can’t just come into our town…our home and destroy everything, I won’t let you,” she said shakily, trying to be as brave as she could as tears filled her eyes. She was actually terrified; that last shock seemed to have taken a lot out of her mother. Hearing the Horned King call Regina a witch and then hurt her again made Haven snap.

“Stop it!” she screamed at him, stepping closer towards him out of anger. As she did, the bulbs in the remaining streetlights above them blew; sparks from the nearby electrical lines began to spark, which caused Haven to duck out of fear. She could feel her magic surging, and while she was getting better, she wasn’t sure if she could do it. Regina however, had noticed it and knew all too well what was about to happen.

“What are you smiling at? Don’t you know that I’m going to kill you and then have my wicked way with your daughter?” Regina let out a breathy chuckle and replied,

“No. That’s not what’s going to happen, because I know something you don’t,”

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“It’s that you never piss off an Evil Queen’s daughter,” she said, just as an evil grin appeared on the Horned King’s face.

“Is that so? Well, let’s see how she reacts to this,” he said, loosening his grip on Regina, causing her body to fall to the ground with a slight thud. Robin and the others immediately ran towards her, though the Horned King stopped them.

“Ah, ah, ah. No heroics for you; I want the whole town to see what I’m capable of. I want you all to see what I’m about to do to your precious queen,” in an instant, everyone was frozen except Regina and Haven.

The Horned King shook his head slowly as he saw Regina doing her best to crawl away, entirely too weak to stand.

“Tsk, tsk, and here I thought you were a smart witch,” he said, easily rolling Regina onto her back with the strength of one of his large fingers, using magic to hold her still. Then, he set his sights on Haven, a cruel grin forming on his face.

“Your mother says I shouldn’t piss you off, but I’ve never been one to listen to what evil witches say,” The Horned King said, surprising everyone by shoving his hand into Regina’s chest, pulling out her heart.

He glanced over at Haven, then at the others before finally glancing down at Regina.

“Long live the Queen!” The Horned King said in a mocking tone before he began to squeeze Regina’s heart.

~

The thought of seeing her mother so frail and helpless nearly killed her. She immediately felt guilty for not listening to her mother, for not paying enough attention during her lessons with Mal. To Haven, it felt like a really bad horror movie, one that she couldn’t wake up from. She was literally watching her mom die in front of her. When she saw the Horned King take her mother’s heart out of her chest, all sense of logic seemed to fly out of the window. She didn’t want to live life without her mom, she couldn’t, she wouldn’t do that.

“Stop it!” Haven screamed, louder than she had before. Though this time, something had changed; as she let out her frustration and anger, a set of streetlights blew, several bolts of lightning lit up the sky for a few moments before a set of swirling black clouds appeared.

“I said STOP IT!” Haven shouted, stepping forward with her arms stretched out in front of her.

She intended to push him, but she never moved from where she stood. Once she took one step forward, a force came rushing through her hands and sent the king at least ten feet backward. When he landed, the ground around him began to crack; he fell into a sinkhole with a loud thud. The only thing that remained was a huge dust cloud; the army of undead creatures disappeared almost immediately. With that, the magical hold he’d had on everyone disappeared as well. Haven stood in shock and amazement at what had just happened; she looked down at her hands in awe.

 

She’d done it; she’d defeated the Horned King.

~

When she saw the crowd of people moving towards where her mother lay on the ground in the middle of the street, the shock quickly wore off and Haven raced towards her.

“Mom!” Haven was beside her in seconds it seemed, cradling her upper body against her chest.

“Please, please, please be okay…” She looked back when she heard the voices of her two older brothers. Unable to stay put they’d left Regina’s vault and immediately rushed back to town; they arrived just as Haven defeated the Horned King.

“Henry! Roland! I-I don’t know what to do! I…I…Is she…” Henry knelt down beside her, taking one of his mother’s hands into his own; Roland had spotted her heart on the ground a few feet away and went to fetch it.

“Mom? Mom!” Henry called out to his mother, who let out the tiniest of moans, causing both children to breathe a sigh of relief, just as Roland rushed toward them, kneeling beside them, carefully cradling Regina’s heart in his hands.

“He didn’t crush it but…there’s a crack in it,” Henry looked down when he felt his mother squeeze his hand.

“Mom! Thank God you’re alright!” Haven said, squeezing her, but then instantly remembering that she’d just nearly been squeezed to death and quickly pulled away.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Regina reached up and gave Haven’s hand a squeeze and smiled.

“Havie, you did it. You…you saved me,” Regina whispered in wonder before slowly beginning to lose consciousness.

“Mom? Mom! Mom, please don’t die! Just stay with me, alright? Just stay awake, okay? T…tell me what to do…I-I can do it,” Regina let out a groan of pain before weakly gesturing toward her heart.

“Mom, listen to me, you _have_ to stay awake. Just try to keep your eyes open, okay? Don’t you dare die on me Regina Mills or I so help me God I’ll find a way to bring you back and curse you myself,” Haven said tearfully, trying to to make her smile.

“She’s right, mom, we’ll do it, we’ll go to wherever you are, bring you back and curse you,” Henry said with a slight sniffle.

“Guys, she’s the Evil Queen, there’s no way in hell she’s gonna let this be the way she goes out, right ma?” Roland said, sounding much like the little boy he once was many years ago as he reached out and gently rubbed her leg.

Regina looked up at her children, who were now all crying over her. She managed a weak smile for them and croaked out,

“You can’t curse me, I’m your mother and the queen,” all three children laughed, happy to see that even near-death, her sass had yet to leave. Just then, Emma, Snow, Charming, Robin, Hook, and Mal rushed toward them.

 “This is the one time I’m incredibly thankful for that stubborn Mills streak,” Robin said as he pulled Haven into a fierce hug, pressing a kiss to her head.

“Dad! You’re alright!” Haven replied, welcoming his hug, just as Emma moved to stand over them.

“Emma…” Regina looked up weakly at her friend.

“From what I can see, the Horned King doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore,”

“Is he-“

“It looks that way, but I’ll check to make sure; just hang tight Madame Mayor,” With that, Emma rushed toward the large sinkhole where the Horned King was.

Glancing down at Regina, Haven leaned in and kissed her head.

“You still with us, your majesty?” Regina didn’t speak but she did nod weakly.

“Good. So…w-what do I do?” Haven asked softly.

“She’s gonna need her heart put back in her chest,” Mal said, stepping up to the plate. She too crouched down in front of Regina, their eyes locking briefly before she placed a gentle hand on her thigh.

“I thought I saw you run off and get it, little thief?” Roland nodded, holding out his hand to show Mal.

“It’s got a crack in it, can it still-“

“It can be put back; as long as it wasn’t crushed to ash it can be put back in,” Mal explained.

“So, we can save her?” Henry asked.

“We can’t, but _she_ can; you ready for an impromptu magic lesson on how to put your mother’s heart back in her chest?” Mal asked with a slight smirk. Most of their lessons were about control and basic things like conjuring and transporting.

“C…can’t you do it? What if, what if I mess it up? What if I do something wrong?” Haven asked, completely terrified at being the one to put her mother’s heart back; she didn’t want to hurt Regina, not after all she’d been through.

“Not this time little one, but I will walk you through it,”

“Mom? D…do you trust me?” Haven asked, feeling unsure of herself. Regina smiled weakly at her daughter, giving her hand another squeeze.

“You can do it, honey…if your thief of a father can put my heart back, I’m more than certain someone as brave as you will be _far better_ at it than he was…his hand shook the entire time,” Regina teased, giving Robin a tiny little grin.

“You, insufferable woman; you should’ve waited until we had something figured out before you went and started taunting that thing. You’re determined to drive me insane, aren’t you? I thought I’d lost you for good today,” Robin whispered, leaning in and giving her as fierce a kiss as possible, so as not to hurt her any further. Regina let out a weak chuckle, a single tear escaping her eye and falling down her cheek.

“But you didn’t, because our daughter saved us,” Regina said as Mal cleared her throat.

“I hate to break this up but…we still need to get your heart back in your chest,” Mal said, glancing back at Roland.

“And to do that, we’re gonna need her heart,”

“Oh, right…here you go Have,” Roland said softly, handing the heart back to Haven. She stared at it in wonder. Though it was battered and nearly turned to ash, it still held a steady heartbeat. Examining it closer, Haven gasped; Regina’s heart had dark spots, but there were also bursts of White light within it as well.

“It’s pretty cool, huh?” Henry said with a smile.

“I…I’ve never seen one like this, not even up close it’s, it’s like…magic,” Haven said, still marveling at being able to hold her mother’s heart in her hands.

“Your mother’s heart has been through…well, it’s been through quite a lot but it’s resilient, just as she is,” Robin said looking down at Regina, whose eyes were starting to close, prompting everyone back into action.

“So…now what?” Haven asked, looking back at Mal.

“It’s really simple; hold her heart steady and shove it in,”

“O…okay…okay, I’ve got this. I can do it,” she said, more or less giving herself a pep talk to try and find some courage to do what she was about to do.

“Mom…just in case this doesn’t work…I’m sorry…and I love you,” Regina smiled up at her daughter and shook her head.

“It’ll be fine sweetheart, I promise,” Haven kept her eyes on Regina for a few moments; before anyone else had the chance to say anything, Haven pulled her hand back, sharply plunging it into Regina’s chest. At the same time, both women inhaled sharply, the color returning to Regina’s face, though Haven’s hand shook.

“Alright, can you feel where her heart is supposed to go? Good. Now, gently let go of the heart and remove your hand,” Mal instructed.

Haven did as she was told, when she pulled her hand out of Regina’s chest she stumbled backward; Mal and Roland caught her. She stared at her hand, and then back at Regina’s chest, afraid she’d done something wrong. Regina however, felt a strong surge of magic flow throughout her body once her heart was back in her chest. Immediately, she inhaled sharply and sat up straight where Robin immediately pulled her into his arms; Henry hugged them both tightly. Though she was elated to be held by both Robin and Henry, she needed to be near Haven. She stumbled out of their embrace a bit but made her way towards her daughter.

Shakily, Regina wrapped her arms around her baby girl. She was so happy that she was alright, that they were both alright. Tearfully, she reached out to wipe away Haven’s tears, she needed that physical touch, to keep them both grounded and to remind them that this was over, it was all finally over.

“Havie! I’m so glad you’re alright…but what the hell were you thinking!? I told you to stay inside Granny’s and you deliberately disobeyed me! What would’ve happened if that hadn’t worked? If something had happened to you…God, Haven!” Regina pulled her back into a fierce hug, a sob escaping her throat.

“You are so grounded…don’t you ever scare me like that again, do you understand me!? I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,”

“After all this, I still get yelled at and grounded?” Haven laughed.

“Yes, you’re grounded for all eternity; you scared the hell out of me. This is almost as bad as that time Henry gave his heart to Pan, and don’t get me started on all the times Roland’s scared me,” Regina shook her head as both Henry and Roland moved to join in on her embrace.

“You wanna talk about being scared? How many times have you scared the hell out of us?” Henry joked.

“I’m the mother, I’m allowed to scare you all, not the other way around,” Regina said with a happy sigh.

Robin smiled and shook his head, deciding to make the moment comical by adding,

“Looks like I’ve got a house full of stubborn Mills’ on my hands,” Regina pulled away from Haven’s embrace and rolled her eyes at him, before allowing herself to melt into his embrace. Robin simply stood there and held her close for a few minutes before leaning in kissing her. At this point he didn’t care who saw; for a second, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever get to kiss her again.

“You’re not allowed terrorize the children and I like that ever again, your majesty,”

“Duly noted, but you have to admit, that stubborn Mills streak saved the day,” Regina said with a laugh.

“Uh, excuse me, I think the words you’re looking for are ‘Thank You, Haven, for not letting the Horned King make minced meat out of me’,” Henry and Roland both chuckled watching their little sister.

“Oh yeah, she definitely inherited mom’s sass,” Henry said with a smirk.

“She might even be sassier than you…what was it you used to call mom when she’d piss you off? Sassgina Mills? I’m definitely thinking Haven should adopt that nickname,” Roland laughed.

“Knock it off Ro, she’s not supposed to know about that,” Henry muttered.

“Sassgina Mills eh? I’ll have to keep that one in mind,” Regina said just as Emma made her way back over to them.

“Welcome back Madame Mayor,” Emma said, reaching out to give her friend a long hug.

“It’s good to be back Miss Swan. Now, tell me there’s at least part of that scaly horned bastard left for me to destroy,” She said, suddenly feeling a bit stronger, ready to demolish the beast who dared threaten her town and her family.

“No!” Regina looked back at the rounding chorus of no she got from her husband and children.

“Mom, that thing nearly killed you!” Henry protested.

“You can’t fight that thing, it ripped out your heart!” Roland shouted though it was Haven’s pleas that got to her.

“No, mom! You can’t, he could still kill you! Dad, stop her!” She said, wrapping an arm around her.

“One day when you’re a parent, which is when you’re 80 and I’m dead, you’ll understand that fierce need to protect the people you love,” Regina said with a shake of her head, still determined to get to the Horned King, though she was a bit wobbly on her feet.

Robin sighed and rolled his eyes at his wife; even after a near-death experience, Regina Mills was still stubborn as ever.

“Regina, that thing ripped your heart out and nearly turned it to ash…listen to the children love. Let Emma and Maleficent handle this one, please?”

“If you think a little heart ripping and being tossed around is gonna keep me from killing that thing, try again,” Regina snapped.

“A little!? That thing nearly killed you! You’re not going and that’s final, and if you think any of us are going to let you be stupid and nearly get yourself killed again, you’re out of your damn mind!” Haven shouted, causing Regina to turn around and look at her.

“ _Excuse me_?” Regina raised an eyebrow at Haven, who quickly gulped.

“I…I’m sorry it came out like that but…you know what? I wasn’t asking for your permission _mother_ , I was telling you,” Regina’s eyes widened in shock.

“Just who the hell do you think you’re talking to like that?!”

“I’m talking to you! You wanna talk about being scared? I walked out of Granny’s and saw that, that thing-“ Robin quickly stepped between the two fuming Mills women and sighed.

“My love, my little love, now’s not the time for a mother-daughter showdown. One of you is too worn out to fight, while the other has only just tapped into her powers. Storybrooke is safe and sound, let’s not blow it up yet again,” Robin said, hoping that he could diffuse the situation.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

“Stay out of this Robin!”

“Stay out of this daddy!”

“Alright you two, if you won’t listen to your little thief listen to me. Haven, you may have saved the day but you do not disrespect your mother. And you, Regina? Your family’s right; that fucking thing disarmed your magic and mine…you need to take it easy,”

“Mal…”

“You really think you’re in any shape to go head to head with that thing?” Mal asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

“But-“

“I promised I’d keep that son of a bitch alive just for you to do the honors of killing it didn’t I?”

“Yes, but-“

“Then trust me to it,” Mal said as Regina scowled.

“Ugh, fine,” Mal smiled happily.

“Now, why don’t you go home with Robin and the kids? Emma and I will come over later to make sure you’re okay,”

“It feels like you’re trying to placate me,” Regina huffed.

“Oh, I’m not trying to placate you; this whole thing just makes me glad I don’t have a gaggle of children and some lover who’d keep me from ripping that thing’s head off…but as your friend, as your closest and dearest friend, I’m telling you to back the hell off. Be grateful you survived, go home, spend time with your kids, screw your husband,” Mal said with a pat on the back before disappearing into the crowd of people.

“So….pizza and a movie anyone?” Henry said, doing his best to ignore the last part of what Maleficent said.

“I’m definitely up for pizza and movie night and maybe some wings too?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Henry grinned.

“Good, I’ll call Isabel and Kira,” Roland said, whipping out his cell phone

“So, what do you say ladies? Dinner and a movie at casa de la Locksley Mills?” Robin said, glancing between both Haven and Regina, neither of whom said nothing. Finally, it was Haven who caved, pulling Regina into a massive hug.

“I’m sorry; are you angry with me?” Haven asked softly, looking up into Regina’s eyes, causing her to sigh heavily.

“No, I’m not angry. I just…Haven, what the hell were you thinking?” Regina whispered, tears prickling in the backs of her eyes.

“That I didn’t wanna lose my mom,” Haven said, choking back a sob as Regina held her tighter.

“Sh. Sh. I’m right here; you’ll never lose me, sweetheart, I promise,”

“Never?”

“Never,”

xxx

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
